


Phoenix Rising - Extras

by LynnWiley



Series: Phoenix Rising [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Creature Fic, F/M, Family, Female Harry, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-09 22:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2000529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynnWiley/pseuds/LynnWiley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a companion to my series Phoenix Rising. You will be completely lost if you haven't at least read my story, "First Meeting." Anyway, these will all be one-shots based both on suggestions from readers and my own weird imagination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beauty and the Beast

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this idea came about from a review by Nephila, who wrote, in regards to Jasper buying Hera a doll in the second story, "I love Jasper interacting with Hera. Stoic War hardened Jasper buying her toys."
> 
> Hera is four-years-old in this.

**Beauty and the Beast**

Jasper Whitlock wasn't a meek adversary. Of all the vampires in the family, he was probably the most dangerous… and not because of his powers of manipulation. He couldn't even begin to count the number of kills he had made in his lifetime, most of which were not even in the name of sustenance. A multitude of both vampires and humans have died by his hands during the many years he hadn't been a Cullen.

Oh, he knew how he was perceived by the humans at every high school they had been forced to attend since he and Alice had joined Carlisle's vision… he was a "pretty boy." Jasper Whitlock, the one who once made other vampires tremble in fear  **without**  using his gift, was now reduced to being fodder for hormone-driven adolescent fantasies. The girls, (and some boys), yearned for his affections while those who didn't envied him for his lifestyle.

None of them even came close to imagining the monster lurking behind his amber eyes. Not one teenager had ever realized that while they desired him, he lusted after them as well… just not their bodies. He longed to feast upon the life-giving blood that warmed their skin and reddened their cheeks. Jasper wasn't weak in any way other than the drive to protect his mate and his embarrassing lack of self-control.

Or so he once thought.

* * *

Edward, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett kept shoving each other as they all vied for the best position to witness this spectacle. Alice, being the shortest one of the four, finally gave up and jumped up on Emmett's shoulders so she could get some good pictures.

Jasper ignored his embarrassment and took the fragile tea cup and saucer Hera handed him with all the grace and dignity befitting a man born in the nineteenth century. He never once lost the smile on his face as he sipped the imaginary tea and made small talk with his baby sister and her date Nibbles, who happened to be a stuffed unicorn. His escort for the evening was Josie, the elegant porcelain doll he had purchased for his sister the day they brought her home from the Flamels' island. Or maybe Hera was his date and the other two were together… she hadn't been completely clear on the details.

The four of them were seated around the tiny wooden table Emmett had made the child, for just such occasions. Thank goodness he had also fashioned chairs, because Jasper was certain that no store-bought set of child-size chairs would support him. It wasn't that he was heavy, but the size difference between his backside and Hera's was worlds apart.

Hera, Jasper's four-year-old adopted sister, looked absolutely adorable in her princess costume. Rosalie had painstakingly styled her hair for the occasion, and though the French-twist looked way too grown up for the child, it complemented the light blue, (no doubt expensive), chiffon dress perfectly. Light make-up dusted the pale skin. A sparkling diamond and sapphire necklace and tiara set completed Hera's transformation into… whatever she was trying to be. He didn't know if the girls were going for beauty queen, princess, or wealthy heiress, but the phoenix was glowing.

Jasper wasn't looking too shabby, himself. He had been reading in the living room when the rustle of chiffon and smell of Alice's nine-hundred dollars a bottle perfume made him look up. As soon as Hera saw that she had his attention she gave a clumsy curtsy and asked, "Tea, Jaspuh?"

Ever the gentleman, he had stood up, gave a bow, and responded with, "I would be delighted, my lady." A delicate kiss to the back of the phoenix's hand had made her giggle. He then immediately went to dress for the obviously upscale event. Jasper had put on his best suit and tie, manfully ignoring the giggles and snickers of his siblings and mate coming from Edward's room. "Laugh it up, guys," he spoke lowly, knowing they could hear him easily, "your turns will come, and I will be watching for them."

The laughter grew louder but he just shook his head and headed off to his date.

* * *

As soon as the imaginary tea was digested and the conversation waned, Jasper decided to give everything he had in order to make this memorable for Hera. He excused himself before walking over to the Fischer Price radio on her bedside table and found a somewhat decent station that was playing a slow song. Hera's green eyes absolutely sparkled with joy when the southern gentleman then asked her to dance.

Jasper ignored the sudden "Aww" from his wife, followed by the resumed clicking of a camera. He urged Hera to step on his dress shoes, completely unworried about any marks her tiny pumps would leave on the Italian leather, and gently led her around the room.

Though he had been initially embarrassed knowing the others were witnessing his transformation from bad-ass vampire to tea party companion, in the end he was happy to have been asked. The joyful memories he was making with Hera would last them both an immortal lifetime, and that was nothing to sneeze at. Besides, he dared any of the others to deny this child anything.

Hera may have been his third true weakness… but she was also a great source of strength. Jasper may have to constantly fight the urge to drain every human that crossed his path, but this tiny creature before him only fortified his resolve to fight his baser instincts. The Cullens would do everything in their power to provide as much security and love as was possible, because that's what Hera needed to grow up happy.

Looking into her exultant green eyes, Jasper knew she was truly worth it.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	2. Baby Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This idea came from little-bast who wrote: "the birds and the bees talk... possibly awkward questions especially to Emmett like the difference between boys and girls when he's alone watching her while everyone else is out feeding or something!"
> 
> Hera is seven in this story

**Baby Talk**

"Emmett, what are those wolves doing," asked seven-year-old Hera as she sat watching television. The rest of the family had left to feed and it was the brawny vampire's turn to watch his sister. He never minded because, even though the child was spirited, she never caused him any problems.

He amended his thought once he saw what she was watching. Emmett squeaked with surprise at the sight of the mating animals and pounced on the remote, immediately looking for something innocent for the girl to watch. She wasn't too old for Sesame Street, right? Realizing she was still waiting on an answer, he racked his mind in the attempt to come up with something that wouldn't scar her for life.

"Um… well… they were," It was the eyes. Her bright green eyes full of love and innocence did him in every freaking time… they were like some kind of potent anti-lying lasers that pierced into his skull. "They were trying to make a baby." As soon as the words came out of his big mouth he'd immediately slapped his hand over his face and waited.

He knew it was coming… it was inevitable.

"How does doing  **that**  make a baby?"

Thank you and goodnight.

Emmett sighed and turned the TV off. "Maybe you should wait until dad comes back and ask  **him** , munchkin."

Hera, intrigued by the thought of this forbidden knowledge, sat on her brother's lap. "Why? Don't you know?"

Emmett glared at the child. "Of course I know… do you know how old I am? If I were mortal I'd be a wrinkly prune by now!"

Hera perked up immediately. "Okay… so tell me. How do they make a baby by trying to give each other piggyback rides?"

The vampire groaned and glanced at the clock. The others wouldn't be coming back any time soon. Wait! Maybe Alice saw this and they were zooming to his rescue… no. If Alice saw it she'd be too busy rolling around on the ground in laughter to save anyone. She probably shared it with whatever beast she'd been stalking and they were both collapsed in humor. Laugh at him, will they?! He'd show the both of them that he could do this. He would give Hera the birds and the bees talk and Alice and her dinner would  **have**  to acknowledge his greatness!

Okay, so he has officially descended into madness, but that's okay. He would still be able to do this.

"Emmett?" Hera's sad eyes pierced into his with the aforementioned laser-vision.

"Yes Hera?"

"It's okay if you really don't know. I won't tell anyone else… well Edward would know, but I'm sure he wouldn't tease you too bad."

Emmett suddenly stood up, placing Hera on the couch as he began to pace. "No, I got this. Okay… they aren't trying to give each other piggyback rides. They're mating."

"What's mating?"

"What is mating? Well… mating is what a boy and a girl do when they want to have a baby."

Hera sighed in frustration at her brother's lack of information. Trying to understand better, she asked, "So if I want to make a baby I have to find a boy first?"

Hissing at the thought of anyone touching his baby sister, Emmett snapped out an immediate, "No!" He realized he had startled her but geez… Hera would be lucky if he let  **Edward**  touch her even after they got married!

"Sorry for scaring you, but no…  **definitely**  no, and if anyone dares to ask you, let me know immediately, okay?" Hera nodded. Steeling himself with resolve, Emmett began to deliver a technical viewpoint on the process of procreation. "Okay, first of all you know the difference between boys and girls, right."

"Yes. Boys have a prius and girls have an angina."

Emmett sighed… again. He was doing an awful lot of sighing for someone who didn't need to breathe. And was that sweat?! "Close. Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. Well, after the boy falls in love with the girl, marries her, and checks to see if it's okay with the girl's big brother, then and  **only**  then he inserts his penis into the girl's vagina and they make a baby."

Hera thought about it for a while. "So the wolves were married?"

"Yep. And obviously the girl wolf's big brother gave the all clear." He ushered his baby sister off of the couch. "Now I think it's time for you to go play with your dolls for a while because I have a few things to take care of before it's time for your bath, okay?"

As soon as the disgruntled phoenix was out of sight, Emmett groaned and flopped down on the couch. That had been more difficult than enduring the pain of transforming into a vampire. And he hadn't even gone into very much detail!

Face set with determination, Emmett picked up the television remote and got to work.

* * *

Later that evening, after the family had all returned from a successful hunting expedition, Jasper sat down on the couch and picked up the remote.

He frowned after flipping through the available channels for the second time. "Hey Emmett… why are all the channels blocked except Nick Jr and PBS Kids?"

* * *

 


	3. Hera's Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This idea was inspired by Nephila who wrote: "Edward playing a song for Hera on the piano."
> 
> Hera is three.

**Hera's Lullaby**

The Cullens were all in the living room, watching a movie at three in the morning when they heard frightened whimpers coming from Hera's room. Edward hastily stood up. "I got it," he said to his concerned family before running to take care of his mate. His heart broke when his eyes easily made out the tear tracks on the toddler's face despite the darkness of her room.

Once he reached Hera's side he crouched down and gently rubbed her back, skillfully avoiding her fragile wings. Whispering in the attempt to wake her gently, Edward said, "Come on Hera, wake up. You're safe, sunshine."

With a final whimper, the phoenix jerked awake and immediately launched herself into the arms of her mate. She silently sobbed with her face pressed against Edward's neck.

Edward continued rubbing her back until her trembles eased. He grabbed a blanket from the tangled bedding and wrapped it around Hera to protect her from the chill of the night before standing and carrying her to his own room. Sitting down on his couch, he cuddled the child even closer and began to run his fingers through her ebony locks. "It's okay Hera. It was just a bad dream." When she looked up at him he noticed that her emerald eyes were filled with horrors that no child should know.

He reached up to gently wipe the tears from her little face. "What were you dreaming, little one?"

Hera rubbed her eyes with a tiny fist and shook her head stubbornly.

The vampire gave her a fond look. "I know it can be hard to talk about things that are scary, but sometimes that keeps the bad dreams from coming back."

With a sleep-roughened voice, the child said, "'Cared Ewa'd."

"What scared you, sunshine? You can tell me." The vampire stared beseechingly into Hera's watery green eyes. He needed to know what had upset his little mate so that he could erase her fears. Edward knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat all of the demons that plagued her, but his vampire was ruled by instinct… not logic, and insisted he make this better.

"No cubbud, Ewa'd… piduhs," Hera pleaded, her bottom lip trembling.

It took a peek into her mind to translate her speech, and when he saw what was frightening his mate, Edward once again felt the need to track down those Dursleys and slaughter them all. He wouldn't even drink their blood… he was sure it would be as disgusting as they themselves were.

"Sunshine, I can promise you right here and now that no one will  **ever**  be putting you in a cupboard with spiders again. And if you happened to come across any spiders anywhere else, all you have to do is let me know and I'll squish it for you," he said while looking directly into her big green eyes, willing her to believe him with every fiber of his being.

She looked to be pondering his pledge before tilting her head in a curious fashion. "Ewa'd kish piduh?"

He nodded firmly. "Flatter than a pancake. Even better… I'll squish it flatter than a pancake that's been sat on by Emmett." He then tickled her belly and was soon rewarded by happy giggles.

She leaned her little head sleepily on his shoulder, but Edward knew that the bad dream was still too fresh in her mind for her to willingly drift back off to sleep right away. Having a sudden idea, the vampire rose from his couch and carried her into the music room. He turned the lights on, but kept them dim for Hera's benefit.

Sitting down at the piano, Edward began to play "Hera's Lullaby," which he'd begun composing the same day they had brought the little phoenix home. Though he'd performed it for her before, this was the first time he was playing the song with the sole intention of lulling her to sleep.

The soft melody drifted through the house, filling the occupants with warmth and peace. Hera, who was resting her full weight in the arms of her protector, let the soothing notes wash away the remnants of the disturbing dream. She clutched a fistful of Edward's bronze hair and snuggled closer into the shoulder of her greatest protector. Halfway through the song, Hera began blinking slowly until finally giving in and allowing her mate's music to ease her into slumber.

Even though he knew Hera to be sleeping, Edward still finished his performance. Once the last strains of the melody faded, he closed the piano's lid and carried the small child back into her room. He wrestled with the tangled bedding, then laid her down and tucked her in. Wishing to protect his mate from any further bad dreams, Edward placed a kiss on the sleeping child's head and placed Nibbles the unicorn under her arm.

As soon as the soft plushy was in her grasp, she pulled it close to her body and turned over.

Edward smiled adoringly at the action and left the room, keeping the door cracked enough to let a small amount of light in should she again wake before morning.

He'd proudly be her spider squisher, lullaby performer, and demon chaser, along with anything else she needed him to be. For the remainder of their immortal lives, Edward Cullen was determined to be Hera's everything.

* * *

 


	4. A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Padfootette, who wrote, "Could u please do one where Hera invites a friend from her school in Ireland home." I wrote back, telling her I had intended on turning Luna Lovegood into a magical creature and asked if she'd be okay with that. She was :)
> 
> Also: A special thanks to Nephila for picking Luna's creature! There's actually a wiki page if you want to read up on it.
> 
> Hera is ten

**A New Friend**

The little whirlwind known as Hera Cullen flashed home from her Irish school in a whoosh of green flames. In a flurry of movement, her uniform jacket, tie, and hat were off, the last having barely missed Alice's head as she tossed it toward the sofa. The child darted into the kitchen and, without stopping, summoned a cookie and ran upstairs to her room.

The two vampires on the living room sofa shared an amused look. Emmett shook his head and said, "Welcome home, Hera… yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking. How was your day? Really? You missed me that much, huh?"

Alice giggled as the ten-year-old turned her stereo on. The music began blaring a moment before all sounds were suddenly cut off from the room. Hera had obviously put up a silencing charm to keep from disturbing her family.

A few minutes passed before Edward came through the door with a bag of groceries. "Is Hera home yet," he asked his brother and sister while putting the food up.

Emmett snorted. "I'm not sure. I think I saw a blurry mass of green feathers head upstairs earlier, but it may have been a figment of my imagination."

Jasper chuckled from his and Alice's room.

Hera's music sounded once again before cutting off as the child left her room. She soon appeared at the bottom of the stairs after having changed into a pair of denim shorts and a burgundy t-shirt. Her grin nearly split her face when she saw her siblings. "Hey guys, where's mom and dad?"

Emmett suddenly lunged and grabbed the child's ankle. Hera gave a mixture of shrieks and giggles as her brother dangled her upside down. "You've got a lot of nerve zooming through here without giving a proper greeting to your favorite brother and sister!"

Hera tried to push her wild hair out of her face. "I would have, Emmett, but I didn't see Jasper and Rose!"

Everyone laughed as Emmett pretended to pout. "Why you little…." He began to tickle his sister unmercifully.

"Augh… no… hahaha… EMMETT!"

Jasper came downstairs to witness the scene. "You might want to ease up there Emmett," he warned his brother with a smirk, "Hera's gotten a lot better at transfiguration."

"What's that got to do with any… aw crap!"

Edward was quick to grab Hera before Emmett could drop her in shock as tentacles began sprouting from his body. His dark hair suddenly turned a vibrant shade of neon orange and a huge set of what looked like ant feelers protruded from the top of his head. Alice fell off the end of the sofa in laughter. "Oh my… I saw it coming and I still can't believe it! Where's my camera?!"

"Don't you dare, Alice!" The brawny newly-turned squid mutant chased his sister around the room as she began snapping pictures with her camera phone. He might have caught up to her were it not for the fact that he was trying to avoid tripping over his tentacles. This was the scene Esme and Carlisle witnessed when they came back from hunting.

They watched the madness for a few moments before turning to the only one in the house capable of transforming Emmett into… whatever he was. The phoenix was currently sitting on Jasper's shoulders enjoying her retribution on her brother. Her red face was wet with tears of laughter and her hair stood up in various places. When Hera caught sight of her parents, her grin widened and she flashed down to greet them.

Esme chuckled as she happily returned the hug before trying to straighten the child's hair. "Hey baby, how was your day?"

Green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh my gosh, mama… there's a new girl at school named Luna Lovegood and she's amazing!"

"A little help, Hera," Emmett asked, giving his cutest puppy dog expression as everyone settled down from the bout of amusement. The child giggled as she waved her hand and returned the vampire to his normal goofy appearance. "Thanks, squirt. Now tell us about this new girl. What kind of creature is she?"

"A haltija. It's spelled h-a-l-t-i-j-a, but the 'j' is silent and they're kind of like fairies, but much more!" She flopped down on the couch and everyone else found a place to sit as well.

"How much more," her father asked with a genial smile. Hera's moods were often infectious, often leaving her family wondering if she didn't have a touch of Jasper's gift.

"Well, there are different kinds of haltijas, dad, and each kind has a different affinity. Luna is of the forest variety. She can control plant life… make things grow even in places like the desert where the plant isn't supposed to live. I met her after seeing her pick up an acorn from the ground outside, plant it, and hold her hand over it and a tree actually sprouted from the ground! When I went over to tell her how amazing that was she told me that the oak has Celtic roots as being a sacred tree, and she thought she'd give the seed a jump start on life."

Edward cut in as the talkative girl drew a breath. "But you can already do that. I've seen you grow flowers a million times."

Hera shook her head. "No… that's not helping a plant grow. All I'm doing is conjuring flowers, Edward. My magic will eventually fade, leaving whatever I've called forth to disappear. Luna's oak tree will live, grow, and drop acorns which will result in future trees! She's amazing," Hera repeated. "We talked for the entire break about different things and I think we're going to be best friends!"

Everyone smiled at the declaration. "That  **is**  great news, princess," Carlisle said. "If her parents don't mind, we would love to have her visit for a weekend."

Gasping in pure joy, Hera began bouncing in place. "Do you mean it, daddy? Can she come  **this**  weekend?"

Carlisle laughed at her enthusiasm. Hera had many friends at school, but none she was really close to. Though Neville had proven to be a great companion, he was a boy and therefore not good sleepover material. Everyone could still remember the growls Edward had produced when Hera had asked two years ago. "Sure, sweetheart. If it's okay with her family, then we would love to have her."

"Yes! I'm going to go get my room ready in case they say it's alright," She exclaimed before flashing away.

Emmett scratched his head. "She does know today is Tuesday, right?"

Jasper chuckled. "With the amount of excitement coursing through her, I don't think she cares. She'll probably change everything around a million times before the girl comes."

* * *

Friday finally arrived, though it took forever in coming according to the excited phoenix. This time when she flashed home from school there was an ethereal-looking blonde holding tightly to her arm. The visitor was roughly the same height as Hera. She had wide silver eyes which protruded slightly. Luna's creature could be seen both by her ears, which were pointed like the elves in Tolkien's books, and the large silver set of gossamer wings that were reflexively opening and closing behind her.

The vampires all gathered around, eager to meet the gentle soul that Hera had been talking about all week. The phoenix smiled widely and pulled her friend toward her family. "Hi guys, this is my friend Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is my mom and dad, Esme and Carlisle, my brothers Emmett and Jasper, my sisters Alice and Rosalie, and Edward… he's my mate."

Luna smiled as she warmly greeted everyone. "Oh wow… you are so lucky, Hera, to have found your mate already," the haltija said and the vampires noticed that her voice was as ethereal as she was and vaguely resembled the distant sound of chimes on a windy day. "It's very nice to meet all of you. Hera talks about you all the time."

Esme came forward and lovingly wrapped her arms around her daughter's friend. "You as well, dear. An hour has rarely gone by all week when your name hasn't crossed Hera's lips! Why don't you show Luna up to your room, Hera, and I'll fix you girls a snack."

"Okay, mama." Luna's hand was grabbed by the phoenix and soon both girls were up the stairs in a whirlwind of chatter.

* * *

As soon as Hera shut her door she cast a silencing spell on the room. When Luna tilted her head in confusion, she said, "When you live in a house full of vampires, the only way to have any kind of privacy is through silencing charms."

Luna giggled and looked around curiously. "Except for your mate, of course."

Hera shrugged and flopped down on her large purple beanbag. Luna followed her example and settled into the black one beside it. "Well yeah… I haven't discovered anything yet that would keep my thoughts hidden from Edward, and believe me when I say I've tried." They shared a giggle.

"I love your room… I take it purple is your favorite color?"

The phoenix giggled. Her bed, curtains, bookcases, and desk were all done in a vivid shade of purple. Even the carpet was a light lavender. "What gave me away?"

They were interrupted by a tapping on the door. Hera quickly cast a charm to open it, revealing Esme holding a tray containing a platter of cookies and drinks. "Luna, sweetie, is milk okay with your cookies or can I get you something else?"

"Milk is fine, Mrs. Cullen. As long as it's not thestral milk… drinking it has been known to turn people's skin a dreadful shade of grey and cause them to talk backwards for a week," the girl said in complete seriousness.

Esme laughed. "Call me Esme, dear. And this is one hundred percent cow milk, I promise… not a thestral in sight."

"Oh good… I would love some in that case, Esme. Thank you!"

Leaving the platter of cookies, Esme excused herself. Before leaving, she turned once more to her daughter's guest. "Make yourself at home, Luna. Don't be too shy to help yourself to anything you'd like in the fridge, and if there's something you want that we don't have just let one of us know and we'll go get it."

Luna returned the sweet smile. "Thank you, I will."

* * *

Saturday morning found the two girls out exploring the forest. They had spent most of the night talking and laughing until Carlisle had put his foot down and forced them to go to sleep around two in the morning. Luna, being a forest haltija, was eager to explore the vast untouched wilderness behind the Cullens' home. Together they trekked through the trees, Hera becoming more and more amazed by her new best friend when every plant seemed to respond to her very presence. "Is it something you do on purpose, like my animal thing, or are the plants just responding to you automatically."

"Plants have always reacted this way to me. My mother said that they had to be careful when taking me outside as a baby because it was easy to lose me among the flora," tinkling laughter followed her statement. She curiously looked to Hera. "What animal thing do you mean?"

"Oh… animals respond to my phoenix. When I was a baby they didn't, but one day when I was five Edward took me to the zoo and every animal we came upon wanted to get close to me." She began laughing at the memory. "I wish you could have seen us in the petting zoo! Once the goats started crowding around me, Edward got in the pen with me and then they all turned on him! I guess they thought he was coming to eat me, and one of them even hit him in the butt with his head!"

Luna shared in the laughter. "So is it something you can control? I haven't noticed you stuck under a flock of birds lately."

"Yes," she spoke while giggling at the mental image, "as I got older I figured out how to turn it on and off. Watch."

Hera held out a hand toward a neighboring tree and suddenly a beautiful yellow bird flew down and landed on the pale skin. "Amazing," Luna breathed.

Hera was about to answer when a popping noise caught her attention. "What was that?"

Luna, too, seemed disturbed by the odd sound. "I don't know, but it came from that way," she replied, pointing towards the west. "Should we take a look?"

Hera nodded and they both took off into the air. They kept below the canopy, worried about non-magical humans catching them, and flew silently toward where the noise originated. Both girls landed in a tree when they saw two human wizards dressed in black and wearing white masks. "Death Eaters," thought the phoenix, "how did they find me?"

She turned to Luna, who was wearing an identical concerned expression. The haltija was from Ottery St. Catchpole… there was no way she didn't know what a Death Eater looked like.

"There's nothing here, McNair," said the shorter male. "Umbridge was pulling your leg. Where the hell are we, anyway?"

The one called McNair growled. "How should I know where we are? And the toad wouldn't dare screw with me. Besides, she hates filthy half breeds as much as we do. I'm telling you Hera Cullen has to be around here. Umbridge said she placed the ministry-grade tracking charm on the girl's bag the last time she went to visit those disgusting goblin vermin."

"I thought the brat could see magic… you really think she wouldn't notice her bag turning a different color?"

"Her bag already had charms on it… she wouldn't notice one extra. Now put a cork in it, Dolph… this gadget she gave me should pinpoint the girl's exact location, even behind wards. I just have to find the right setting." Both men gasped when a vine shot from a nearby tree and wrapped around the wrist of a man holding the weird contraption.

Both Death Eaters tried to get to their wands, but more vines came out, wrapping them up tightly. By the time Luna was done, the two men looked like a pair of green sausages. Muffled screams of fright could be heard when the girls flew down to observe their prisoners.

"What should we do with them," asked Luna.

Hera thought for a moment, then gestured to the Death Eater's wands and magical tracking device. "Take those to my family and tell them to destroy them… I'll take them somewhere and leave them."

Luna looked worried. "I don't know, Hera… what if they get loose. Maybe I should come too, just in case."

"I'll be fine. I won't stay gone long. Besides," she added, "I'm not strong enough to flash with three passengers… two will be pushing it, actually." Hera bent down and scanned the device. "It's clean… I don't think anyone will be able to track this thing itself. I'll scan my bag as soon as I get back, okay?"

"Okay… stay safe," Luna reached out to hug her best, and only, friend.

Hera and their prisoners disappeared in a flash of green fire seconds before seven worried vampires converged on the scene. Luna was shocked at their appearance before she remembered Hera's tales of Alice's gift of foresight.

"Luna, are you okay? Where's Hera," Edward asked in a panic after seeing only the haltija in the immediate area.

"Um… I'm okay. Hera will be back in just a moment… she took the Death Eaters somewhere, but she promised to stay safe." Seemingly oblivious to the vampires' terrified reactions to the news, Luna held up the two wands and tracking gadget. "Actually she wanted me to ask you if you wouldn't mind destroying these… just in case the Umbridge lady comes looking for them."

Emmett immediately ground the items into dust while Edward ran his fingers through his hair. "Where did she go, Luna?"

Tilting her head, Luna said, "You know… I have no idea, but we can ask Hera when she comes back. She probably flashed back to your house because that's where I was supposed to meet her." She gasped when Jasper grabbed her and rushed back to the vampires' home with the others. "Wow… daddy would love to hear about this," she exclaimed as the scenery sped by at an alarming pace.

Thankfully Hera was waiting at the house when they returned, as evidenced by the muffled cries as Hera demanded to be put down. Finally she flashed out of her mate's arms, only to grumble as he pounced on her again. "Edward… stop it!"

Carlisle shook his head. "Just let him check, Hera. His vampire won't settle until it's reassured that you're uninjured."

"And me  **telling**  him I'm uninjured isn't enough to settle it?"

Alice snorted. "From the girl who would claim to be fine even if she were missing a limb? Not a chance, sis!"

"Why did you leave, Hera," Jasper demanded. "Do you know how dangerous that could have been? Where did you take them, anyway?"

Suddenly remembering something, Hera flashed away only to return a second later with her school bag. "Just a second, Jas. One of them said there was a tracking charm on my bag… I have to get rid of it first and then I'll answer your questions." Peering into the magic woven into the fabric, the phoenix was able to recognize the tracking charm and remove it. It was a pale green in color, nearly the same shade as the expansion charm.

"Okay, sorry," she looked up into the expectant faces. "After Luna wrapped them up like a couple of tamales I flashed them to the middle of the Sahara desert." Hera scratched her head in thought. "I suppose they could apparated wandlessly if they're really desperate, but they'll have to get out of the vines first."

Hera's wings drooped when her family's glares didn't lessen in the least after her explanation. "Aw come on guys… I was safe! They couldn't move, and they have no clue how to get back here."

Carlisle sighed in disappointment. "Hera, what you did was incredibly dangerous. You should have flashed to us immediately! I hope you enjoy the rest of Luna's visit, because after she leaves you're going to be grounded for two weeks, young lady."

"What?! Daddy, that's not fair!" Hera's pleading gaze, unfortunately for her, had no effect on her family whenever they felt she'd placed herself in danger needlessly.

"It's non-negotiable. We'll talk more on this tomorrow. You girls can spend the rest of the day inside."

Hera growled and stomped away to her room. This hadn't been at all how she expected hosting her first real sleepover would go. Luna followed her, looking as if she felt a mixture of apologetic and awkwardness. "Hey, it's not so bad. At least those guys have no clue how to get back here." They both collapsed into the bean bag chairs.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish they would trust that I know what I'm doing for once! I had everything under control… they never even got a chance to hurt me." Hera ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

Luna pondered her friend's words for a moment. "I think they do trust you, Hera. It's the other two that they didn't." As the phoenix looked at her, she continued. "Families can't help but think of the worst case scenarios when it comes to the safety of their own… especially their young. Nothing else mattered to your family but your survival, and when they realized that your fate was out of their control, they grew frightened."

Hera sighed. "I didn't think of it like that. I can't imagine what it would feel like to not have anyone to care about whether I lived or died."

"I bet it would be a pretty lonely existence," the haltija answered. The two girls lapsed into silence for a while, lost in thought.

* * *

As Luna was preparing to leave the next morning, she was suddenly assaulted with a hug from her new best friend. "I'm so glad you came to visit me Luna. We'll have to do this again when I'm not grounded anymore!"

Laughing joyously, the haltija replied, "I would love to come back. And you're also welcome to visit me at the rookery, though I doubt your family would let you come to England by yourself anytime soon!"

After Luna said goodbye to everyone else, she grabbed her portkey and disappeared.

Esme wrapped her arms around her baby girl and squeezed. "Did you have a good visit, sweetheart?"

Hera pulled her attention away from the spot Luna had been standing and answered. "It was fabulous mama… I have a best friend now!"

And somehow the phoenix knew that this friendship was going to last her a lifetime.

* * *

Thanks to all readers/reviewers!


	5. Driving Edward Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was prompted by Nephila, who wanted me to show the scene referenced in chapter 5, (Forcing Change), of Phoenix Rising in which Alice allows Hera to try her hand at operating a motor vehicle.
> 
> Hera is six

**Driving Edward Crazy**

Alice smiled as she listened to Hera ramble on about how much fun she'd had at the playground. Wanting to have a day of sisterly bonding with the little phoenix, she had dressed the child in the cutest Tartine Et Chocolat fuchsia romper she had picked up a week ago at Neiman Marcus and drove her to the park. There was a great play area for children there that Hera loved to visit. They spent the afternoon sharing stories, jokes, and smiles. Reluctant to go back to having to share her baby sister with the rest of their family, Alice stopped at Baskin Robbins to treat the girl to an ice-cream.

They sat outside at one of the tables while Hera enjoyed both her mint chocolate chip waffle cone and her sister's attention. "… would've been better if I could have flown to the top of the jungle gym, but climbing was fun too… even though I think I got a blister, see?"

Alice dutifully inspected her excited little sister's hand and placed a loving kiss against the small red patch that had been rubbed raw from the harsh metal contraption she'd scaled. "Poor baby!"

Hera giggled and shrugged before pulling her hand back. "It doesn't hurt!" The smile fell from her face as she had a sudden thought. "Don't tell Edward, okay? He'll never let me climb anything ever again!"

The brunette laughed loudly, startling a passing teenaged boy. "He is a big worry-wart isn't he," Alice asked. "I don't think he'd keep you from climbing… though he might insist upon you wearing appropriate climbing gear." She started chuckling once more at the mental image of Hera on the playground wearing a helmet, gloves, goggles, and a safety harness as she climbed the jungle gym with all the other children staring at her, wide-eyed.

Knowing her brother and his overprotective tendencies, he'd have wrapped his mate in bubble wrap and lined the ground beneath the structure with soft mats as well.

Licking the green line of melted ice-cream heading toward her little hand, Hera nodded seriously. "Yes he would! If Edward had his way I'd never do anything fun. I'd be the only grown up who wasn't allowed to drive. Even when I fly he stands underneath me like he thinks I'm going to suddenly forget how!"

As Hera finished her cone, Alice wet a few napkins and wiped the sticky hands and face clean before ushering her into the car. "Well, little lady," she said as Hera buckled her seatbelt, "then you and I will just have to learn to be extra sneaky so you can have as much fun as possible before old sourpuss Edward finds out." She pulled out into traffic and made her way home. Alice began texting Jasper on the way, instructing him to take Edward hunting. The vampire didn't specify why, and her family knew better than to question her since her visions were so useful in keeping them safe.

By the time she pulled into the drive, Alice was certain that the mind reader was far enough away that she wouldn't be caught committing one of the cardinal sins of babysitting Hera. She put the car into neutral and set the emergency brake. "Okay, sweetie… trade seats with me."

Hera gasped with excitement, causing her hands to tremble as she released the latch on her seatbelt. Alice grabbed Jasper's Algebra textbook from the back seat and placed it on the driver's side seat so the child would be able to see over the dashboard. Once Hera was sitting on the book they shared a giggle over the illicit activity in which they were about to partake before the vampire went down a checklist.

"Okay… seatbelt?"

A clicking sound, followed by, "Check!"

"Mirrors?"

"Yep… they're still there."

Alice chuckled. "Good… do you know which pedal is the gas and which one is the brakes?"

Hera looked down and stretched her leg down as far as possible, but was still a few inches too short to reach either one. "Um… no, but I don't think it really matters."

Alice nodded happily. "Gotcha. Okay, Hera… put your hands at nine and three."

The confused child looked at her as if she had suddenly lapsed into speaking Klingon. "Huh?"

"You know… the clock face. Nine o'clock and three o'clock?"

Hera glanced at the digital clock display. "So… I have to wait until the clock says either nine or three to drive?" She pouted. "That's gonna be like forever from now!"

Laughing outright, Alice reached over and placed the phoenix's hands in the correct position. "No, you knucklehead! Pretend the steering wheel is a clock face. Your right hand goes where the number three would be, and your left hand goes in the number nine's spot."

"Why?"

"Because it's the safest way to hold the steering wheel."

"But why?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Because that's what driving instructors say to do."

"But w…." Hera was cut off by Alice. "Sweetie, you have a choice here. You can either just do what I say without questions and drive, or I can give you an extensive lesson on the history of vehicle safety until Edward sees us and has a conniption."

Jaw tightening in determination, Hera nodded at her sister and faced forward. "Okay… I choose driving! What do I do now?"

With a wide smile, Alice released the emergency brake. "Now you drive. All you need to do is keep the car on the driveway. You hardly need to move the wheel at all."

Squealing in joy, Hera couldn't help but exclaim, "I can't believe I'm driving!"

Alice sighed in aggravation as her super sensitive vampire hearing picked up an infuriated, "What?!" It seems Edward was either back from feeding early, or he hadn't gone far in the first place.

Not ten seconds later Edward zipped out of the forest and grabbed onto the back of the car and effortlessly lifted the rear tires from the pavement. "Out of the car, Hera!"

Hera growled. "Oh come on Edward! I was doing good!"

"Out now! Alice… turn the car off!"

Alice grumbled under her breath as she followed the insane vampire's orders. "She was going so slow that the needle wasn't moving, Edward."

Once the car was certain not to go anywhere, the telepathic vampire gently set it back down and carefully inspected his mate. Hera, who didn't appreciate having her fun ruined, just crossed her arms and pouted as he looked her over. Turning to his sister, he asked, "Have you lost your mind? She's six-years-old and you let her  **drive**?!"

The brunette vampire casually inspected her nails. "Well do you know how tiring it is driving to Anchorage all the time, brother dear? I figured that if I got Hera trained up, Rosalie and I would have a chauffeur the next time we went on a shopping spree."

Edward growled lowly and actually dared to bare his fangs, to which Alice responded with a smirk. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed his mate and stomped off toward the house with the little girl arguing the entire way. The last thing Alice heard her say was, "I'm going to be the only fifty-year-old having to take the bus!"

* * *

 


	6. The Dragon Days of Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is for the super, magnificent, and always entertaining Nephila who wrote: "One of skull crushers babies misses Hera too much and decides to go find her... and succeeds"
> 
> Hera is ten

**The Dragon Days of Summer**

The Cullens, sans Carlisle who was at work, were all watching a movie in the living room when a tearful Hera joined them. Edward immediately read her mind so that he'd know who to kill for making his mate sad while Emmett pulled Rosalie onto his lap and scooted over so the sad little phoenix with the drooping wings could take a seat between him and the telepath.

Jasper frowned at the negative emotions coming from his sister. "What's wrong, Hera?"

The little girl sniffled before replying. "Slashy's missing!"

Everyone immediately offered sympathy to their beloved phoenix. Gut Slasher, nicknamed 'Slashy' by Hera, was the child's favorite dragon out of Skull Crusher's clutch from a little over two years ago. She and the baby Ukrainian Ironbelly had bonded the instant the two had met. The hatchling had taken to Hera so much that she was inconsolable for days every time Hera had to go back home to Alaska after a visit. Dreadblade said it was perhaps the most disturbing thing he's ever bore witness to.

"She paces back and forth at the entrance to the enclosure," the goblin had told them. "After wearing herself out, Gut Slasher will then start with a keening that gets louder as the night passes… the noise is similar to the sound small human children make after injuring themselves. Then when she finally calms down she drags around the large stuffed gryphon that Hera brought to her on their second meeting and will hardly eat for days!"

From Dreadblade's description it was almost as if the charismatic little dragon thought Hera was her mother!

"Oh pumpkin, what happened," Esme asked after crouching down in front of her daughter and giving her a much needed hug.

"Yeah," Jasper added, "how in the world did she break out of Gringotts?"

Hera shook her head. "She didn't. Tmora said that the last time the dragon handlers portkeyed the babies outside to play in a warded area, Slashy found a hole in the wards and just took off! Dreadblade did his best to follow her, but she was too quick for him to keep up. Thank you," she added when Emmett passed her a tissue box.

"Calm down sweetie," Alice said soothingly. "I'm sure she just wanted to stretch her wings… she'll probably head back to the playground once she's had her fun."

Instead of mollifying the little girl, her sister's words only made Hera cry harder. "That's what Dreadblade thought, but this all happened five days ago!" She pulled out some more tissues and blew her nose before allowing Edward to pull her in close for a hug. "It's why they waited so long to tell me. They didn't want to worry me over nothing, but Dreadblade is certain that if she was meaning to return she would have done it by now."

After Hera had finally cried herself to sleep, Edward worriedly put her to bed and watched over her during the night. The ten-year-old tossed and turned many times while she slept, but her dreams weren't otherwise disturbed. He sighed, wondering where in the world one would go to look for a missing dragon. It seemed absurd that a creature that large could simply disappear! He smiled when he caught Jasper's thoughts. His brother was trying to decide whether or not the dragon sightings web page he'd just discovered could be trusted. Emmett was actually considering going overseas and handing out flyers!

One thing about the Cullens… not a single one of them could stand to see Hera crying.

* * *

Three days later found Hera dejectedly sitting in her tire swing, letting the rope twist her whichever way it liked as she held onto the thick rubber. She had almost given up hope of ever seeing her favorite dragon again, and knew that Dreadblade wasn't even looking for Slashy any longer. He'd told her it was unbelievable that no beings, either magical or non, had caught sight of the twenty-foot tall fledgling. The goblins had, of course, reported the loss to the Ministry of Magic in London so that the Magic Reversal Squad could be prepared to modify any non-magical humans' memories while the dragon handlers recovered the wayward animal.

Hera was startled out of her thoughts when a shadow separated her from the sunlight moments before a giant animal landed beside the swing. The ground shook as the giant beast let out a triumphant roar, causing it to drop a much-loved and slightly soggy stuffed gryphon from its mouth.

"Slashy?!" The phoenix vacated the swing and began laughing as her friend's giant snout began lovingly nuzzling her belly. Hera's entire family, who had all run out of the house at full speed when the dragon roared, all wore slack jawed expressions.

"How in the world did she enter the country without showing up on the military's radar?" Jasper ran his fingers through his hair and periodically scanned the sky as if expecting a squadron of fighter jets to buzz their house at any second.

Emmett shook his head and stared as his baby sister and the dragon tumbled around the yard. It was like the animal was a puppy and  **not**  a gigantic fire-breathing creature named 'Gut Slasher'. "Never a dull moment."

Rosalie, whose jaw was still dragging the ground, could only nod in agreement.

* * *

"But daddy, why not?" Hera had just been told by her father that Slashy had to go back to Gringotts and neither she nor the dragon were accepting of his decision. "She came all this way to see me, can't she at least stay longer?"

Carlisle sighed. It wasn't easy to be stern when faced with his youngest child's large green eyes swimming in tears. "Princess, I sympathize with you both… I really do, but you  **know**  Slashy can't stay here. What would happen if she were discovered by the non-magical world?"

"I know… they would hurt her. But couldn't we build her a giant pen with a roof over it so no one could find her?" She squeaked when Edward picked her up unexpectedly.

"Sunshine, if we built Slashy a pen it would have to be bigger than our house and that would be incredibly suspicious to the police. They'd probably think we were growing a large amount of drugs or something." He kissed the top of Hera's head before placing her back on the ground. "Now I know from reading your thoughts that you know what has to be done, no matter how difficult the task is."

The phoenix sighed sadly before rubbing Slashy's belly. The dragon seemed to know what was about to happen because she didn't even purr from the familiar action. "I'm sorry, Slashy, but daddy and Edward are right. You can't stay here with me no matter how much we both want it."

In answer, the dragon began making the keening sound Dreadblade had described. "No young lady… none of that," the little girl said as sternly as she could while fighting her own emotions. "You're getting to be a big girl now," Hera continued after Slashy was again silent. "I know it's hard, but you're a strong dragon and you have to show it! I'm always gonna come back to visit you… we both just have to be brave until we see each other again, right?"

Gut Slasher huffed out a pout before licking her beloved Hera with her giant forked tongue, causing the phoenix to let out a sudden giggle as half of her hair stood straight up from dragon spit. "Ewww… Slashy, gross!"

The huge gray dragon gave a self-satisfied rumble before laying down and taking an impromptu nap.

Once notified about the dragon's unscheduled visit via Hera's letterbox, an astonished Dreadblade had quickly portkeyed over to the Cullens' home with the huge collar he used to transport dragons to and from the playground. Soon the pouting fledgling was being whisked away with her beloved stuffed gryphon. And though she always remained very close to Hera, she never again tried to escape to see her.

Though that doesn't mean she wasn't often tempted….

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing! *hugs*


End file.
